Tips for eating more veggies
Over time, I’ve picked up some sneaky ways to prepare and eat vegetables in their most tasty form. Have fun with these simple tricks for adding nutrient-dense veggies easily to daily meals!
Below are six categories of nutrient-dense vegetables that we all should be eating more of. I know you’ve been hearing everyone and their grandmother tell you to eat more vegetables for your whole life, but a lot of us really just need some ideas of how to make them tasty in every day meals.
What I mean by “nutrient-dense” is that these vegetables hold a very high amount of vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols/anti-oxidants per their calorie count. The nutrients that we get from eating vegetables help to prevent a number of diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Plus, the more veggies we eat, the healthier we become and the better we will feel!
Highly influential Dr. Mark Hyman is an advocate for using “Food as Medicine,” and I often hear him say, “Eat the rainbow!” Dr. Hyman posted on Instagram just last week that humans consume only 150-200 plants out of the 250,000-300,000 known edible species, WOAH! The more variety of plant products we eat, the more of their polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals we can use in our bodies for ultimate health.
Polyphenols are super anti-oxidants found in plants. We hear about anti-oxidants all the time, but do we know WHY we need them? Anti-oxidants are so important in our diets because they reduce the number of free radicals in our bodies… free radicals negatively affect our cells and cause disease. We ingest free radicals on a daily basis from the air we breathe to leftover residue on our food. The more polyphenols we ingest from plant products, the better our bodies will be at eliminating these free radicals.
(P.S. Dark red wine and unsweetened dark chocolate are high in polyphenols as well!)
How to make eating vegetables more delicious
Dark Leafy Greens; spinach, kale, rainbow chard
Add to smoothies; you can throw in a handful fresh or frozen.
Chop up into small bits and add to your favorite pasta or stir fry, add at the very end of cooking so the leaves steam down.
Eat a salad. Make your salad flavorful with citrus, tahini, or your favorite dressing (careful for added sugars) so you can avoid the tastes in the greens if you don’t like them, add texture using nuts and crispy veg, like peppers or cabbage.
Blend into your favorite hummus or dip, you can even throw a store-bought dip in your blender with a handful of greens
Squash; butternut, kabocha, acorn
Bake squash for a little longer than necessary so it slides right out of its skin, then mash it up and add it to pasta to make a mega nutritious delish, creamy sauce. I’m sure kids and friends who don’t like veg will love it!
Flavor with cinnamon or nutmeg and roast thin slices so it acts as a yummy sweet treat — a great way to avoid sugar cravings after dinner.
Simply roast cubes with oil, salt, and pepper and refrigerate to add to fresh salads.
Sea veggies
Take supplements if you know for sure you won’t eat them, or invest in the powdered version for smoothies and soups. I love single packets of spirulina for a weekend smoothie treat.
Snack on organic roasted seaweed, it can even be found at Costco.
Crumble roasted seaweed into your fav salad, on top of fish, or your favorite pasta. Furikake anyone?
Add a bit of kombu to your rice, quinoa, pasta, etc. while boiling/cooking it. I usually add a piece that’s smaller than my palm. While it’s boiling, the rice, quinoa, pasta will soak up the nutrients.
Broccoli
Steam until soft and blend with potato, garlic, onion, and herbs to use this as a base for soup.
Chop up small and add raw to your favorite salad or blend into a dip.
Steam with just a dab of red wine vinegar to enhance the flavor and add to literally any meal.
A favorite comfort meal - mac & cheese with brocolli!
A great veggie to buy frozen (organic) to always have in the freezer.
Sauerkraut
Add to every salad and bowl meal you make - it’s a great added crunch!
Lightly spread onto your sandwich or wrap.
Look for brands that make flavored sauerkraut and use as a side to your lunch or dinner meal for a treat — a great thing to invest in as a staple in your fridge.
Mushrooms
Get good quality mushrooms (reishi, shiitake, oyster) and cook on low in a nice oil with garlic and herbs so they don’t get so mushy, then add to your favorite pasta or stir fry.
Cut up small and throw in a soup or stew towards the end of cooking.
Add some chopped up to a cup of cooked brown rice, add garlic, onion, and herbs and it’s basically like you just made flavored box rice from scratch.
Add organic button mushrooms fresh to salads.
Incorporate mushroom tea or coffee into your daily beverages, you can find interesting choices on the shelves at your grocery store.
Saucey ideas:
Here are some tasty ideas for quick and easy sauces for those who really just need some more flavor in order to truly eat more vegetables. It’s as simple as throwing these mixes of ingredients into a blender or food processor. Add to steamed veggies, plus your choice of a protein and carb, and you instantly have a delicious meal. Great for leftovers, too! I’m not one for following recipes, so I always estimate the amount of ingredients depending on what I’m cooking or have a taste for.
Tahini + Ginger + Lemon + Olive Oil = Creamy Tangy Salad Dressing
Cashews (soaked for at least 30 minutes) + Olive Oil + Lemon + Water + Nutritional Yeast = Cashew “Cheese”
Avocado + Water + Garlic + Lime + Cilantro = Avocado Crema
Peanut Butter + Soy Sauce + Chili Garlic Seasoning + Ginger + Garlic = Peanut Sauce
Fresh Basil + A Few Nuts + Garlic + Lemon + Olive Oil = Mom’s Garden Pesto
Comment below with your main concern or roadblock to adding more plant products to your diet. Or, please share your favorite way of sneaking more vegetables into meals!
